Beginning Your Research

Mrs. Walsh & Ms. Williams

Todays Lesson Objective

To review how to focus (narrow) a research topic.
To locate appropriate resources while improving your
searching skills and results.

Vocabulary Terms
Resources

Results/Hits

Keywords

Validity

Databases

Citations

Search Engines

Plagiarism

MetaSearch Engines

Copyright

Full Text

Boolean Operators

Web Directories

The Research Process

1. Determine the focused topic of your research.
2. Locate appropriate resources.
3. Evaluate and record information from a variety of
resources.
4. Create a final version of the project (e.g. paper,
presentation, brochure etc.).

Narrowing Topics
Ways to narrow topics:
Geographic
Time Period
Genre or Form
Case Study or Site
Population/Group
Primary Text/Specific Work
Theoretical Framework or Perspective

Narrowing Topics
Narrowed Topics Should:
Be broad enough to write about clear subtopics
Be narrowed enough to have limited results
Lead to how and why questions instead of stating facts

Articulating a Research Question

Research Questions Should:
Address specific, narrowed subjects
Use open-ended how and why questions to encourage analysis
Participate in or acknowledge existing scholarly research/discussion

Identifying Significance
Common Motivating Purposes for Research:
Making an evidence-based recommendation
Replicating (or challenging) earlier, preliminary findings
Clarifying or complicating previous understanding
Introducing new areas of inquiry or explanation
Creating a new process
Developing a new application for an existing process
Illuminating a contemporary issues

I am studying (career)
because I want to find
out (career
information) so that I
understand (what do
you hope to gain?)

Occupational Outlook Handbook

https://pixabay.com/en/photos/closed%20book/?&per_page=150

Activity

Locating Appropriate
Resources

What is the difference between...

Search Engine
Metasearch Engine
Web Directories
Databases

15 Most Popular Search Engines

Advanced
Google

Vocational
Biographies